Herbivory

Terms:
phytophagous, saprophagous, coprophagous, HSS model, secondary compounds, volatile compounds, nitrogen compounds, terpenoids, phenolics, allelopathy, ethnobiology, cryptic and warning coloration, Batesian mimicry, Mullerian mimicry, folivore, granivore, foregut and hindgut fermentation

Allelopathy:  Use of toxic secondary chemical compounds by plants to deter competition from other plants.

Batesian mimicry:  When a harmless or good tasting species mimics a harmful or bad tasting species to avoid predation. 

coprophagous: An organism that eats its own feces or that of other organisms.

cryptic coloration: A color pattern that helps a species blend into its environment like camoulflage.

ethnobiology: The study of human use of biological organisms, especially ethnographic or archaeological uses of plants and animals by native peoples for food, medicine, and other uses.

folivore: An animal that feeds primarily on leaves.

foregut fermentation:  An herbivore with multiple stomachs for fermentation by protozoa and bacteria as an adaptation for digesting plant material.

granivore: An animal that feeds primarily on seeds.

hindgut fermentation: An herbivore with a long gut and large caecum to slow the passage of plant material through its system and increase the digestive time of its food.

HSS model:   Ecological model that predicts that herbivores do not eat more plants because they are controlled by their predators and parasites. 

Müllerian mimicry:   When several toxic species mimic each other’s warning coloration patterns so that predators need only learn the one pattern to avoid consuming them.

nitrogen compounds: A group of secondary compounds produced by plants and derived by amino acids that contain nitrogen and are primarily toxic or bitter tasting.

phenolics: A group of secondary compounds produced by plants that hinder digestion when eaten.

phytophagous: An organism that eats plants.

saprophagous: An organism that eats dead organic tissue.

secondary compounds: Chemical compounds produced by plants strictly for repelling or attracting predators or pollinators.

terpenoids:  A group of secondary compounds produced by plants that form oils and resins and are primarily bitter tasting.

volatile compounds: Chemical compounds that easily vaporize, usually producing an odor.

warning coloration: A color on an organism that attracts attention, primarily because the organism is poisonous.